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Troubles legacy cost £611m so far, think tank says

Getty Images A burning van on a city street during the Troubles. Part of the back of the van is open and flames are consuming the inside, the outside of the van is scorched by the heat. In front of the van are two Army vehicles and a soldier with a rifle is standing beside it with a had towards his mouth to block out the smoke. Getty Images

The cost of dealing with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has reached at least £611m, a right-wing think tank says.

Policy Exchange, a critic of the government's legacy policies, says future costs could amount to a further £1.3bn.

Its biggest estimated future cost is £514m for a payment scheme for people bereaved in the Troubles.

A bereavement scheme is not currently a Northern Ireland Executive policy as there is political division over who should qualify.

The figures from the Policy Exchange think tank are based on 2024 prices and includes money already spent on inquiries, inquests, court cases and investigations.

It also estimates that the ongoing cost of legacy issues ranges anywhere between £238m and £739m.

Future figures 'entirely speculative'

There are caveats with the report's figures.

The more than £2bn projected past and future cost breaks down into roughly £1bn previous spend and £1bn forecast spend.

The previous spend includes the Bloody Sunday Inquiry from 2010, the cost of which has been increased by about £100m by building in inflation and converting it to 2024 values.

The report also includes aspects of police, Northern Ireland Office and Police Ombudsman budgets, which it could be argued is necessary spending and a £514m proposal for bereavement payments, which has not been approved and is not in Stormont's programme for government.

The Northern Ireland Executive has been asked for comment.

The report's authors have also estimated the future cost of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry and the public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane, as well as potential compensation to former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, which the government has not yet approved.

A UK government spokesperson told BBC News NI: "We do not recognise the basis of the figures for any future costs in this report, which are entirely speculative."

'Legalist approach'

The think tank has criticised the government for repealing parts of the previous administration's Legacy Act.

In a foreword to the paper, former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says: "If the additional sums being committed by this government to legacy matters were genuinely helping to bring about peace and reconciliation, the country would pay them cheerfully.

"But there is scant evidence that this is the case; indeed, scant evidence that such factors are even being considered.

"Rather, the approach to legacy appears at times to be being dictated by a maximalist approach to legalism, without regard to the underlying benefits or costs."

'Nobody takes cost into account'

Grey haired man in a grey striped suit, purple shirt and yellow tie, pictured in front of a lawn with glass office style buildings in background
Jeffrey Dudgeon, pictured here in 2019, says people in Northern Ireland are "frightened" by the "reality of amnesties"

One of the authors of the report is historian and former Ulster Unionist councillor Jeffrey Dudgeon.

"Part of the problem now is that judges are ordering inquiries that will cost enormous amounts of money and they don't get asked in advance who will pay for the inquiry," Mr Dudgeon told the Good Morning Ulster programme.

"In England, judges have to take costs into account and here I've never been aware of any judicial inquiry being costed in advance.

"They've become politically motivated, they're not actually about the needs of bereaved families and the truth."

He added: "Nobody takes cost into account in Northern Ireland, possibly because other people are going to have to pay for it."

'The reality of amnesties'

Mr Dudgeon said he understood the idea of amnesties was hurtful for victims.

However, he said there had been few convictions for Troubles offences over the last 25 years.

"None of the political parties offered an alternative to the Legacy Act," he said

"It's a standard act of government to put the past behind us and try and move forward.

"People are frightened here in Northern Ireland by the reality of amnesties."

A UK government spokesperson told BBC News NI they are "committed to addressing the suffering of victims and survivors of the Troubles" in a way that is human rights compliant and proportionate.

"The previous government set aside £250m over five years for the independent Commission and other legacy mechanisms and this government remains committed to that figure," they said.

The UK government is examining "all conceivable options" to lawfully address any potential compensation claims relating to historic Interim Custody Orders, they added.